White Leads Mission Viejo Team With Deeds, Not Words

Ashton White, eye black on his cheeks, stepped to the microphone for an interview the other day with the sheepish grin and giggles that come with most 12-year-old boys.

At the plate and on the mound, he is a tiger, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who can blow away the opposition with a 74-mph fastball, then turn around and slap out more hits than anyone else on the South Mission Viejo Little League team.

But win or lose, when he leaves Lamade Stadium here for the final time after today’s Little League World Series final against Guadalupe, Mexico, White will be just another of the young boys of summer on this Orange County all-star team that has lost only once in 22 games.

Strong, muscular and tall for his age, he is the 5-foot-8 son of Charles White, former USC running back and Heisman Trophy winner, and one of the boys who have spent the last week here playing ball before crowds in excess of 35,000 to see who will be crowned the best 11- and 12-year-old baseball players in the world.

He has drawn rave reviews from opposing players and coaches as a player. But it’s tough for a 12-year-old to answer reporters’ questions in more than a few words.

This is, of course, the paradox of the Little League World Series: young boys being held up to manly standards for a grueling week of games, camera lenses and dogged interviewers.

White would rather let his playing do his talking. And that’s understandable. He’s batting .615 in the four games he has played here, has driven in 10 runs and scored five more. Opponents have gotten him out only three times in his 13 at-bats.

He has been spectacular in his last four pitching efforts too. At the Western Regional tournament in San Bernardino, he struck out 16 batters against Arizona and 11 in the championship game against Sunnyvale National.

In two appearances in the Little League World Series, he has pitched six innings and given up two hits and a run. He was the winning pitcher in Thursday’s 12-1 two-hitter in the U.S. championship game against Bradenton, Fla. The game was called after five innings because of a 10-run mercy rule.

“He is one of the top three or four pitchers we have seen,” Bradenton Manager Mike Kennedy said. “We’ve seen some guys that throw faster than him, but with only two dad-gum hits against him, I guess you have to say that he overpowered us.”

Asked what’s the best thing he brings to the team, White shrugged and said, “Good pitching.”

Ed Sorgi, South Mission Viejo coach, said the key to the team’s success has been the lack of a big ego, and he credits White for being a quiet role model in that regard.

“There are no heroes on this team and his persona exemplifies that,” Sorgi said. “This is a team of 13 kids and they play for each other.”

When he is away from the limelight, White is a practical joker who fits in well, first baseman Nick Moore said.

One of five children of Judy and Charles White, Ashton says he feels no added pressure because of his dad’s fame.

Charles White coaches the running backs at USC, which is in the midst of preseason practice, but he is expected to be in the stands today and has been staying in touch with his son.

“He sent me a letter,” Ashton White said with a characteristic giggle. “He said to kick the poop out of [who we play].”

And young master White had a message for Guadalupe. In an uncharacteristic moment after being prodded by interviewers following his two-hit, six-RBI performance against Bradenton, White said he thinks South Mission Viejo can do even better.

“We don’t want to make any errors and we can even hit the ball better than we did,” he said.

Then he mentioned the team’s ice cream party and how much he was looking forward to it. A minute later, he was gone.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

California Dreaming

California teams that have appeared in Little League World Series title game:

1954--Schenectady, N.Y. 7, Colton 5

1957--Monterrey, Mexico 4, La Mesa 0

1959--Hamtramck, Mich. 12, Auburn 0

1961--El Cajon 4, El Campo, Texas 2

1962--San Jose 3, Kankakee, Ill. 0

1963--Granada Hills 2, Stratford, Conn. 1

1969--Taipei, Taiwan 5, Santa Clara 0

1970--Wayne, N.J. 2, Campbell 0

1974--Kao Ksiung, Taiwan 12, Red Bluff 1

1976--Tokyo, Japan 10, Campbell 3

1977--Li-Teh, Taiwan 7, El Cajon 2

1978--Pin-Tung, Taiwan 11, Danville 1

1979--Pu-Tzu Town, Taiwan 2, Campbell 1

1987--Hua Lian, Taiwan 21, Irvine 1

1991--Taiwan 11, Danville 0

1992--Long Beach 6, Philippines 0-x

1993--Long Beach 3, Panama 2

1994--Venezuela 4, Northridge 3

x-Philippines won final game 15-4, but was stripped of title for using over-age and ineligible players.

GUADALUPE (26-2) AT A GLANCE

* Notes: Guadalupe, Mexico, is representing Latin America. This is the first time in 33 years that a team from the Monterrey area has advanced to the championship game. Guadalupe won the Mexican championship for the first time in 27 years, then defeated Nicaragua, 4-2, in the Latin American final. It swept through international pool play, scoring 19 runs and shutting out all four opponents. The team batting average is .312. Pitcher Adrian Luna is batting .444 with two home runs, and Pablo Torres, one of two pitchers being considered to start today, is batting .583 with seven hits, two of them homers. The other pitcher who could start is Gabriel Alvarez. Manager Jaime Luna took a team into the Senior League (15 and under) World Series several years ago.